Old Billy - The Oldest Horse in the World

Old Billy - who to this day
is STILL the World's Oldest Horse

The average lifespan of the equine is between 25-30 years, but every once in a while, a very special exception to the rule rears its beautiful head; the most famous of which being the legendary 'Old Billy' - the oldest horse in the world.

Born in the Lancashire village of Woolston, England in 1760, Old Billy began life the same as any other horse of that time, or any of this time for that matter. There was, and remains, nothing to indicate that this horse would be anything above average, but lo and behold, Old Billy lived to enjoy an impressive 62 years of healthy life on this planet, spending the majority of those years working as a reliable barge horse, pulling barges up and down canals.

After sadly passing away on the 27th November, 1822, a lithograph of Old Billy - said to look like a big cob/shire horse, brown with a white blaze - was published, and shows him with Henry Harrison, his squire of 59 years. However, aside from from this precious historic artefact, very little information remains of this very special horse, who still to this day is the oldest horse ever to have lived, according the Guinness Book of World Records. 

Many have made the claim since for the title of World's Oldest Horse, but there are often problems with lack of official documents and so far, very few have given Old Billy a run for his money. But until proven otherwise, you can view the taxidermied head of Old Billy, which is on display at Manchester Museum.